[C]all us biased, but we believe that some of the best storytellers are right here on our doorstep.

Fortunately for us bookworms, it’s easier than ever for the teachers, parents, bloke down the pub and shopkeeper with a tale to tell to share their works.

Getting a book published is no longer just a case of sending a manuscript to a publisher and waiting by the phone for a life-changing call. In days gone by, only a few writers’ works made it into book shops and libraries.

But with the eBook market growing, getting published is now a case of taking matters into your own hands and making your voice heard. We catch up with some of the best authors from our region to find out whether self-publishing is the way to go. This time next year, we could be the next J.K. Rowling!

Last month, crime writer Angela Marson celebrated the sale of her one millionth novel. She released three books in her crime series last year, topping Amazon charts around the world.

Her debut, Silent Scream, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was the Amazon bestseller in the UK for more than a month.

It also reached the top five in America, and has secured rights deals in nearly a dozen other countries.

Quite the achievement for a shopping centre security guard from Brierley Hill.

Her road to literary success wasn’t an easy one, so we had to ask what she felt about self-publishing. Is it worth our readers, for example, trying their hand at it if they want to share their stories?

She tells us: “Personally I feel it is a good thing. I have been trying to share my work for more than 25 years and only wanted an opportunity. Over the years it has become harder to reach publishers as very few now accept unsolicited manuscripts and will only consider work submitted by an agent.

“In addition to my published books I have two books self-published through the Amazon KDP Program which have now reached a wider audience. I also know of authors who have secured traditional publishing deals after their efforts with self-publishing.”

. . . .

“Traditional publishers don’t always get it right,” she tells us. “My first book Silent Scream was represented by an agent initially and was rejected by them all. It has gone on to sell almost 800,000 copies and is being translated in 13 countries.

“This isn’t a brag,” she assures us, “just a demonstration that they don’t always know what the readers want.”

The nice thing about indie is that no one can truthfully say that what tradpub puts out is representative of what readers want. That if you don’t see a book you want, it’s because “that story won’t sell.” Now we can find out.